Magnetic dental burr holder



April Y26, 196s M. FRIEDMAN MAGNETIC DENTAL BURR HOLDER Filed Jan. 26, 1965 United States Patent O 3,248,167 MAGNETIC DENTAL BURR HOLDER Mark Friedman, 660 Gramatan Ave.,

Y Mount Vernon, N.Y. Filed Jan. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 428,034

8 Claims. (Cl. 21-84) The present invention is directed to holders for instruments or tools, and more particularly to iron containing tools, such as dental burrs which require sterilization before use.

Usually, such instruments are placed in sterilizers and are treated by various means requiring special equipment which is lburdensome, involves moving the instruthat the number of burrs that could be so treated was quite small and it required specially4 constructed magnets.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the diiculties and disadvantages inherent in prior methods and devices for holding and sterilizing instruments'of steel and the like, it being among the objects of the invention to provide a simple and elective holder and sterilizer for the storage, sterilization and use of such instruments.

Itis also among the objects of the invention to provide a device for the above purpose which is compact, sturdy and convenient to operate.

Still a further object of the invention is to devise a container which can be placed at the hand of the dentist so that he may without delay or diiculty take out or replace an instrument, which will be sterilized immediately after replacement and ibe readyfor reuse.

In practicing the present invention, there is provided a box-like container into which a sterilizing solution is placed. The container has a hinged cover, on the inside of which a magnet or a plurality of magnets or other v magnetic body is mounted. 'I'he magnetic body is covered by a block or-plate of non-metallic material which, in one embodiment of the invention, is fixed to the cover so as to support and hold the magnet in its proper position. Holes are formed in said plate transverse to the face thereof and extending most of the way or all the way ,thru the plate. The size of the holes is such as to readily accommodate the stems of the instruments with the operative tip, such as a burr, extending beyond the face a suiicient distance so that when 'the cover is closed, said tip Will be immersed in the sterlizing solution.` Means are provided for catching and properly draining'oi the solution when the cover is open.

The strength and character of the magnetic body is such that the force of attraction is sufcient to retain the burr in the holder when the cover is closed. When it is open, drainage of excess solution is accumulated in a trough and is directed back to the body of the solution.

The invention is more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof and in which like reference characters indicate like parts, and in which FIG. l is a perspective view of a container made in accordance with the invention, showing the cover in its open position; Y

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view thereof taken along line 2 2 of FIG. 1, some parts being shown in elevation;

ICC s FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 with the cover closed and showing the sterilization position of the instrument, and i FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device with the cover open taken along line 4-4 of FIG. l, some parts being shown broken away for clearness.

A box or container 1, here shown as being rectangular, has a sterilizing liquid or solution 2 therein, the surface 3 of the liquid being short of the top 4 of the container. Cover 5 is hinged at 6 to one edge of the container, and its lower edges 7 are adapted to make a close t with the upper edge 4 of the container.

Block or plate 8 has a dat outer surface which, in the embodiment shown here, extends beyond edges 7 but not so far that, when the cover is closed the surface touches the liquid face 3. Set screws 10 in the four corners of plate 8 are threaded into cover 5. Usually reinforcing insulating corner members 11 are provided in the cover and are secured by suitable means, such as welding; the screws are threaded into corner pieces 11, and shoulders 12 serve to properly locate the plate. The plate is of insulating material, which may be a synthetic resin or a ceramic composition.

The rear of plate 8 has a recess into which a magnetized body 13 is tted. By virtue of set screws 11, the magnetized body is held rmly in place. A series of transverse openings 14 extend from the face of plate 8 toward -body 13, stopping short thereof as seen at 15. The inner end 16 of said openings is flared to facilitate the insertion of stem or shank 17 of a burr, the tip 18 thereof extending a substantial distance beyond the front face of plate 8.

Attached to the edge 19 of plate 8 adjacent to hinge 6 is a trough 20 extending beyond the front face of said plate and also extending 'beyond the tip 18 of the burr, as seen in FIG. 2. When the cover is in the position shown, the liquid adhering to the burr will drip down into the trough. The central portion 21 thereof forms a spout and the trough slopes down thereto collecting the drippings and returning them to the body of liquid.

Although the invention has been described with a single embodiment, there arev numerous changes which may be made in the details. For instance, the magnetized body may consist of a number of single magnets suitably arranged, or a number of magnetized needles may be placed in parallel relation transverse to the face of the plate and be bonded together. Openings 14 may extend all the way thru the plate so that the Shanks of the burrs actually touch the magnet. The shape of the container may be of quite a different configuration than shown. These and other changes may be made within the spirit of the invention, which is to be broadly construed and to be limited only Aby the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v

1. A holder for dental burrs and the like comprising a container for sterilizing liquid, a cover hinged vto one side thereof, a magnetized 'body on the inner face of said cover, an insulating plate on said body and having a front face, a plurality of transverse openings in said plate terminating adjacent to said magnetized body, the depth of said plate and said openings being substantially less than the length of said burrs, whereby when said cover is closed the burrs will be held in said plate by magnetic force and the tips of said burrs will-dip below the surface of said liquid.

2. A holder as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the front face of said plate extends beyond the lower edge of said cover.

3. A holder as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the outer rim of said openings is fiared.

said magnetized body comprises a plurality of parallel.

needles with poles of like polarity forming .the face of said body.

6. A holder as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that a trough extends 'from theedge of said plate adjacent to said hinged side beyond said .plate to catch drippings from said plate and buns. Y

7. A holder 'as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that said magnetized body is .a substantially at plate having;

north and south poles on a pair of opposed faces.

8. A holder as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that corner pieces of non-metallic material space said mag@ netized body from said cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,187,364 6/1916 Mormot 21-87 6/1963 Dietz 21--87' 

1. A HOLDER FOR DENTAL BURRS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR STERILIZING LIQUID, A COVER HINGED TO ONE SIDE THEREOF, A MAGNETIZED BODY ON THE INNER FACE OF SAID COVER, AN INSULATING PLATE ON SAID BODY AND HAVING A FRONT FACE, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE OPENINGS IN SAID PLATE TERMINATING ADJACENT TO SAID MAGNETIZED BODY, THE DEPTH OF SAID PLATE AND SAID OPENINGS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID BURRS, WHEREBY WHEN SAID COVER IS CLOSED THE BURRS WILL BE HELD IN SAID PLATE BY MAGNETIC FORCE AND THE TIPS OF SAID BURRS WILL DIP BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID LIQUID. 